The best and rarest emeralds in the world are found in the Muzo mines, located in the western foothills of the eastern branch of the Colombian Andes in South America. They lie about 8 km. by trail west of the small village of Muzo in the Department of Boyacá.

The region around the deposits is intensely tropical, characterized by excessive heat and high humidity, with a rank jungle growth that quickly obscures abandoned workings and makes exploration peculiarly difficult and costly.

The early history of the Muzo deposits is buried in the remote past. These had long been worked when the Spaniards first set foot in the New World and was probably the source of the precious green stone that the Spaniards found so widely distributed through northwest South America and particularly in the realm of the Incas in Peru. The chance to discover the source of these emerald gems was the needed enticement for these explorers to brave the great dangers of the unknown interior to this new world.

Spaniards acquired their first indication of the source of the emerald in 1537, when Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, the conqueror of the interior of Colombia and the founder (in 1538) of the city of Bogotá, entered the valley of Guachetá and received nine emeralds as a gift from the Indians. Although emeralds had been known in human history for many centuries the brilliant quality of these new emeralds had never been experienced before and it took 20 years for the Conquistadors to find this source in rugged mountain tunnels hidden in a deep, overgrown jungle. The Spanish lead by Luiz Lanchero, after a significant investment of blood and treasure finally found these ancient mines and began mining and producing emeralds for the Spanish crown, sharing the production with the indigenous people keeping peace and consistent production. Even today as in the early 16th century, the rarity of emeralds is evidenced by the struggle to find them, which has been the main factor in the high value of Colombian emerald over the centuries.

Fine Colombian Emeralds are found at Opal Fields:

Opal Fields owner Tom Wheeler, a Certified Gemologist, is passionate and proud to offer the best of emerald gems. Tom’s Colombian partners, are mine owners with decades of experience in the emerald belt and source only rare, hard crystal Colombian Emerald gems. The emerald gems you’ll find at Opal Fields.

Opal Fields is an experienced and highly credentialed source for gems that possess the qualities needed to last for generations. The qualities needed to be a true investment in life and legacy.

The secret of Colombian Emerald:

Colombian Emerald derives its glorious green color from the presence of chromium. Emerald from Africa and other origins vanadium is the element responsible for the green color. As a result of the chromium, Colombian Emeralds will actually glow green in ultra violet light. This is why in some lighting conditions, fine Colombian Emerald will appear to be glowing green color. The special effects in the movie Romancing the Stone capture this phenomena well.

The mystical powers attributed to emeralds:

Known as the stone for love and romance, they bring and enhance joy, cleansing, clairvoyance, memory, and faith. The stone also benefits intuition and communication, and promotes truthfulness and is associated with the heart chakra. The emerald is the sacred stone of the goddess Venus. It was thought to preserve love and has long been the symbol of hope. It is considered by many to be the stone of prophecy. In several cultures the emerald was the symbol for fertilizing rain. In the Christian faith it is the symbol of faith and hope.